Analysis of Double Page Spreads

NME MAGAZINE - DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD - GLASVEGAS:

The double page spread is about NME’s featured bands Glasvegas. The lead singer James Allan is the background of the piece wearing white trousers that look as though they are tinted red due to the light that was used in the photo shoot. The background in the picture seems to be a greyish white colour which fades in and out to a more reddish spectrum. James Allan’s chest is covered with black writing which the reader can see clearly on the front cover. It makes him seem rebellious and tough but also big into his music as it is lyrics from Glasvegas’s new song. The font on his chest is also the font used as the main title’s font. The title is in bold caps locks and instead of being black like it is on the singer’s chest, it is white so that it contrasts with the background and stands out. The title is also a quote as it is in speech marks and is slightly obscured behind the singer to make it seem as though it is written on the wall. The red and white used symbolises possible danger, warnings, rock or maybe even a new start. The font of the title also looks as though it has been written out by someone and therefore looks scruffy and untidy, but also represents rebellion and vandalism as it is thick like spray paint and looks as though it should be on the wall behind the artist.

The sub heading of the piece is again in a different font and in italics to make it look more interesting and different. The band’s name and the reporters name are both highlighted in black to make them stand out from the rest of the passage. They are also in bold to emphasis their importance and to show the reader the main names if the consumer is skimming the page. The sub title gives the reader a tester for the article and what it is about.

Below the sub heading is a white line which divides the sub heading from the article so that it doesn’t all flow together. Underneath the thin white line is the photographers name which is caps lock black but does not stand out as much had it done if it were white for example, this is probably because it is not a greatly important piece of information. Below this is a white box pug that contains two columns of the interview in black time’s new roman font. The beginning letter of the whole paragraph is an ‘f’ which stands out as it is red and much larger than the rest of the text, this draws the readers interest to it and makes them read on as it is a catchy technique to pull readers into the article. The ‘f’ is also in a different font to the rest of the article which again backs up the point about drawing the reader in to reading the article.

The overall layout is mainly focused on the picture of James Allan rather than anything else and also the large quote/title of the article. Both stand out because they take up the most room and are therefore more interesting to look at because it is in a different layout to the rest of the magazine’s articles.


KERRANG - DOUBLE PAGE SPREAD ANALYSIS - MUSE:

The main part of the article is obviously the picture of the band members of muse. Most of the page is taken up with picture with Matt Bellamy centre and further forward than the bassist and drummer who are slightly behind him. Their clothing all matches due to the white, black and grey colour scheme and makes them look as if they are glam rock instead of normal rock due to the patterns and texture of the clothing. The background is also grey and fades to a slightly darker grey when it reaches the edges of the page. It makes the image look in a way sort of metal like grungy, there are pugs used in the form of stars which again add to the glam rock approach that the images gives off. There is a border that runs across the top of the page in a light grey colour to again stand out from the darker grey background, reading ‘MUSE’ over and over again with black stars to break up the words.

The main title ‘All that glitters’ is in 2 different fonts. ‘All that’ is in what looks like an Arial Black sort of font, it is in a light grey outlined with black to make it stand out from the dark background. The ‘Glitters’ part of the text is in a fancy looking font and in white which again stands out from the dark background. It is also much larger than the previous mentioned text which suggests it is the more interesting part of the title. It seems to fade slightly out towards to right hand side of the picture. The edges of the page are given the effect as if they’ve been torn or ripped which makes Muse seem rough and rock like, it interestingly counter acts the connotations linked with stars to make them again seem like a glam rock band. The first paragraph of writing on the left hand side is in the same font style and type as the first part of the title. Except for that it is in white and by the end of the paragraph fades out to grey. It has a slight shadow behind it to make it stand out from the background and is all in caps lock to again stand out to the consumer and catch their eye. It also makes it seem more important. The second piece of text begins with a large letter ‘M’ in light grey with a black outline. It also has a white star behind it to mark the official start of the article. Matt Bellamy’s name is in caps lock to again show the start of the paragraph. The actual article is in a very small font and is black white doesn’t stand out too well against the grey background. It is readable but it is hard especially when it gets to the bottom of the page. It is in a column so it looks professional and with a clear layout out. There is a little pug at the bottom right of the page which is a sketched arrow which is white to make it stand out and the text is boxed around it so it doesn’t over-lap.
The actual picture itself makes the band look slightly aggressive but as if they know what they’re doing. The clothing shows that their not afraid of holding back or about what people say. The shot is a medium close-up so the consumer can see only the top half of the band members.